Flickering Dreams
by CharlotteElbourne
Summary: Why is Mamoru acting weird? Why are her friends growing apart from her? Usagi doesn't understand. When a figure from the past seems to be the only comfort, what will happen when Usagi must choose between that comfort, and the lives of her friends?
1. Prologue

A vine snapped in the direction of the sailor scouts, heading for them all as it split into five parts. Black energy welled within the plant youma, sparkling and crackling around as it advanced with amazing speed to destroy it's enemies. Its two heads cackled evilly, filled with triumph as it knew one touch would wither the scouts into nothing. Around the battlefield, corpses were littered everywhere. Men, women, and children who had had their life's energy zapped from them now lay dead in the street. How could such a creature have killed all these innocent people? It seemed the creature's powers were limitless, as they had been at this battle for more than an hour, and each scout was exhausted.

Nearly avoiding the oncoming attack, the sailor's evaded, jumping out of the way as the vines cracked at the side of the building. The black energy melted the stone walls, leaving a gaping hole into the store. If they weren't careful, the buildings around them could come down and kill them all. Worst, they could kill the other innocents that were still up higher in the buildings.

Minako helped an injured Ami up from the floor, blood sliding down the blue haired girls legs. She had deep cuts on her skin from where she had cut herself diving out of the way. Ami grimaced, grateful to her friend for helping her up.

"We need to finish this before anyone gets killed…" she said through gritted teeth, a look of worry on Minako's face at her friends condition.

"Watch out!" cried Rei, as the plant youma made another swing, this time at Makoto, who jumped and did a backwards somersault, landing on her feet. Lightning crackled around the green scout as she called on the thunder from her planet, Jupiter.

"Jupiter Thunder CRASH!" she cried, sending a wave of lightning at the youma. It hit the dark creature, sending an enveloping light around it, but it faded quickly, not leaving a single scratch on the plant's body. It cackled, looking around at each scout that was gasping for air. This battle had been easy for it. All it had to do was show up, start killing people, and it knew the Sailor Scouts would come running, trying to stop it. They were all pathetic in it's mind, but it didn't matter. Joy loomed on it's face as it turned around to see the injured Ami and Minako. Evil eyes glowed with dark, malevolent energy.

"Fools! You cannot defeat me!" it cried in a hellish voice. Lunging forward, it raised its arms, which turned into dagger like vines, wanting to piece the throats of each scout and drain their energy as well. But, just as it reached the injured girls, it halted. A look of rage and confusion appeared on its face, but this hesitation was enough for the girls to get out of its way. Turning around, the youma growled in frustration, but did not attack further. It still held dark energy around it, but it looked as if it was contemplating something.

"What is it doing?" asked Rei, regrouping with the others. Minako still held onto Ami, while Makoto stood in front of them, Rei by her side. The four scouts had sweat dripping down their foreheads, and each was breathing in raggedly, especially Ami.

"I don't know, but where is Usagi?!" cried Minako. Their leader had been missing from the battle, and none of them knew where she was. It was just like her to be late to a battle, but this was bordering on ridiculous. They needed her power if they wanted to destroy this creature, and it seemed each of their own attacks did nothing but further piss of the creature. A sudden movement to their rights made all the girls, and even the youma, turn to look. Standing there was an exhausted looking Usagi, leaning up against a tree that had been broken in half halfway up it's trunk.

"In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" she said, taking ragged breaths. The sailor had run here all the way from her house, having slept in late and missed the message from Ami about the attack. Standing up straight, Usagi, known as Sailor Moon, glared at the youma for attacking her friends and causing their injuries. The girls were happy that she was there, but would be furious after the fact that she had been so late. Taking out her wand, Usagi held it up before her, pointing it at the creature. The plant stared at Sailor Moon with dark, glowing eyes, narrowing as it gave out a shriek, apparently breaking from it's previous trance.

"Moon Healing Halation!" cried the blonde haired warrior. A shower of crystals and light enveloped the youma, a scream coming from within the bubble of light. The plant writhed and withered before their eyes, turning into white dust that blew away in the wind. Each scout breathed a sign of relief, wanting to collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"About time you showed up….. Usagi?" called Rei. The scouts turned their eyes in the direction of where Sailor Moon had been standing, and each girl's eyes widened in disbelief.

Usagi was no where to be seen….

* * *

**Authors Note:** There ya go ^^ This is only a prologue to my story, so please stay tuned! I will try and get the first chapter out soon!


	2. Chapter 1

"_Mamo-chan! Come back!" she cried, the blonde haired sailor running after him as he stepped further and further away from her. It seemed with each step she took, he took three, and no matter how fast she tried to run, she could not catch up. Her friends too, suddenly coming into her vision, seemed to be nothing but blurs ahead of her. Tears started to fall in rivulets down her face, her muscles aching with the strain of trying to run faster than she could. Even as she was running, it seemed her body was slowing down, and finally, her friends and her beloved faded before her eyes. Usagi called out, desperate, afraid, and wanting them to come back._

_A jet of black and white energy crossed her vision, and Usagi felt a pain in her chest…_

Waking up with a jolt, the girl screamed, face wet with the shed tears from her nightmare. Her heart was beating so rapidly she swore it would jump out of her chest at any moment. Looking around, she could see where she was, and recognized she was safe in her room, and that the nightmare had only been but a dream. Crushing the pillow to her chest, Usagi took in several deep breaths, easing her mind from its wavering thoughts and calming herself down enough to think straight. Closing her blue eyes, she tried to forget that horrible dream. It was still there, stuck in the back of her mind, but she was frantically pushing it out until she told herself she did not remember it at all. Sighing, the girl slowly got off her bed, letting the comforter fall to the ground in a heap. She did not feel like picking it up, feeling like a headache was coming to her. Rubbing her temples, Usagi went into her bathroom and clicked on the light, peering into the mirror. The reflection showed an exhausted girl, hair slightly messy, eyes droopy and tired, with faint circles under her eyelids. Rubbing her face, she turned the faucet on and started to splash cold water onto her cheeks.

A shock ran through her.

It was no ordinary shock. The cold water felt a jolt through her system, electrifying her nerve endings, sending a cold sensation through her entire body, racing to her toes, fingers, and finally back to her heart. Looking back at the mirror, she turned, leaning up against the sink, her hands barely holding her up from collapsing from her sudden thoughts. How was she back at home, sleeping in her room? Flashbacks of a battle between a youma and her friends came flinging into her mind. She could see her friends injured, Ami with a terrible leg wound, and all of them with pure exhaustion on their face. They looked in complete trouble, and yet she could feel their anger at her for being late. Truthfully, she had hurried as fast as she could to the battle, having slept in and awoken groggily to Luna's communicator. Transforming and running there while out of breath, she had made it in time to save her friends… but then what had happen? Usagi clutched at her head, not remembering what had happened at all after that. Had something knocked her unconscious? Had she collapsed from exhaustion? That was not it, since she had slept most of the morning! Racking her brain for the right answer that she could not come up with, the girl walked out of her bedroom and slumped back down onto her bed, hanging her head between her legs as if that would help. _There has to be an answer…_ she thought. A ringing sound came to her, and she could tell that it was the downstairs phone. Any second, she knew her mother would pick it up and answer it, like she always did. Her brother was probably in his room playing video games, and her father was most likely reading the newspaper and watching TV. It was routine for them, and it made her feel a little more at easy. Or at least, it would if the phone would stop ringing…

Stop ringing? Usagi looked up, listening quietly. Yes, the phone was still ringing. Standing up, curious as to why no one had answered it, she walked slowly to the stairs, peering down the steps at the bottom landing. Detecting no movement, she plodded down the stairs, looking about her house. No one was around, and even as she looked in the kitchen and the living room, she saw no sign of her family. The newspaper was folded on the coffee table, and the television was off. She could smell nothing cooking in the kitchen, which made her heart wrench in her chest. Mother was always cooking something sweet and delicious for her, feeding her love of sweets and desserts. Quickly running into the kitchen, Usagi looked around again, and it was only then that she saw the note on the refrigerators door. Lifting the magnet and swiftly looking over the note, a frown appeared on the young girl's face.

_Usagi,_

_Went to the market. Be back later. Don't eat anything in the fridge. If you have to eat something, eat the left over rice._

_ Mom_

A queasiness came to her stomach. Something about the letter seemed slightly cold, but passing it off as nothing, she knew her mother must have something delicious in mind to keep her from eating anything in the fridge. Shrugging, and feeling a little bit easier, she left the kitchen and rounded to the living room. Realizing she was still in her bunny pj's, Usagi bounded up the stairs and proceeded to dress in a white sun dress with a necklace. She fixed her hair so that it looked better, then was back down stairs and out the door. If she was going to get any peace out of this dream, she knew talking to her friends would be the best solution. Luna was no where to be found, so assuming that the cat had gone to see Artemis about something, she looked for Minako and the others. Realizing she could call them easily, Usagi took out her communicator and called Ami. It rang for a few minutes, and a few more minutes before Usagi closed the connection. Clearly, her friend was not going to pick up. Two thoughts ran through her mind… While one was a simply explanation, the other seemed to give off a bad feeling. It would be best to find them as soon as possible, and with the thought in the back of her head, she took off at a little bit of a sprint.

It seemed forever before Rei's temple came into view. She climbed the steps that lead to the front of the shrine, and halted as she came to the top. She could not see her friend, or her grandpa anywhere, but then she assumed they must be inside. If Ami and the other's didn't answer her communicator, she thought they would be in a meeting discussing important scout stuff, but then why did they choose to exclude her? It didn't make sense, and she would tell them as much as soon as she found them. Stalking forwards, now a little peeved, she made it to the front door and slid it open, peering inside.

"Rei? Ami-chan?" she called out, hearing nothing but silence echoing back to her. Where was everyone? Letting herself in, she searched the temple's grounds, and even checked the room they usually used for meeting in, but she could see no one at all. _Where is everyone?_ Usagi began to panic, wanting to know why she could not find anyone at all. Her family had been missing, and now she could not find her friends? Something weird was going on, but as to what it was, she had no clue. Sagging her shoulders, the blonde moved sluggishly out of the shrine, covering her eyes as she felt the bright sun bore down upon her. It had been dark in the temple, with Rei's fire not holding light within, and the sun's rays left her blinded for a moment. All of a sudden, Usagi felt a wave of despair come crashing over her, seeping into her body until she felt like she was going to cry. It wasn't just her family and friends, she realized at that moment, that were missing. She had seen absolutely no one on her way to the shrine. Everyone couldn't all be on vacation, and school would start again on Monday like it always did. A Saturday afternoon should have everyone enjoying the weekend… but she saw no one.

Now she knew something was definitely wrong. Slipping a hand into her pockets, she felt around for her brooch, clasping it tightly as her fingertips brushed the soft, yet slightly warm metal. Inside was housed the Silver Imperium Crystal, her connection to her sailor warrior self, and the beam of hope for the future. It's warmth tried to calm her, but it suddenly felt like a large clump of cold rock in her hand. Hanging her head, what seemed moments passed before she heard footsteps approaching. Usagi's head jerked up, and before her came her friend Rei, arms crossed as she stopped in front of her friend.

"Rei! I was so worried!" cried Usagi, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. She jumped up and proceeded to hug her friend tightly, not wanting to let go. She had feared something terrible had happened, but at the sight of her friend, that feeling seemed to wash away completely. Rei held the sobbing girl for a few moments, before she pried the girl's arms from around her, holding Usagi by the shoulders. Rei stared at her friend, a dark look in her eye.

"Usagi… go home. Don't think you can just come here anymore…" she said, letting go of the girl's shoulders and strolling past, heading for the shrine's doors. Reaching it, she slipped it open and closed it behind her, leaving a perplexed and stunned Usagi staring after her. What had that been all about? It seemed like an hour before she awoke from her trance, still haunted by what her friend had just said. It didn't make sense at all, just like her dream. Had something happened? It must have, or her friend wouldn't have said something so… so cruel to her. Pausing for a few more seconds, she turned around and headed down the steps. Now, she could see people walking in the streets, roaming about in their usual ways, when just a little while ago, there had been nobody. Looking about, sadness on her face, she plodding in a random direction, not knowing where she was going until she felt her feet hit sand. Somehow, she had made it to the park, seeing a few children and their mothers playing over on the grassy field. The swings were empty, and with a heavy mind, the once cheerful girl sat down on a swing and hung her head. Nothing was making any sense, and it frustrated her. She could always rely on her friends to help her, but by Rei's actions, it seemed something had cause their friendship to falter. Taking out her communicator, she tried again to get a hold of one of the girls, but was met with only static. Turning it off, she let it slid onto the sand, not bothering to place it back into her pocket. Tears welled in her eyes again, and she hastily wiped them away. She had cried a lot today, and she felt her face burn from the effort of keeping these tears in. Makoto had always said she had such a caring heart, but a thought crossed the girl's mind. Would Ami, Makoto, and Minako feel the same way that Rei did. Not even knowing the reason as to why they were giving her the cold shoulder, she could only guess that she had provoked them somehow.

"Hey… are you okay?"

Usagi looked up briefly, not really caring who was speaking. The person hesitated, then sat in the swing next to the odango girl, his feet brushing the sand softly as he settled into the seat. Not getting a reply, the figure waited patiently until Usagi raised her eyes to look at him. He could see her red rimmed eyes, and tell immediately that she had been crying. His eyes looked at her with concern, their shade of dark brown blinking as he continued to wait. Usagi studied him, taking in his looks, and wondering who he was. The man had soft blonde hair that reached his chin, his brown eyes seemed sweet and gentle. He was clothed in simple garb, a long sleeved white t-shirt and brown khakis, and had a watch on his left wrist. He tilted his head, still waiting for her answer, but it didn't seem like she was going to say anything. He sighed, a soft smile coming to his lips.

"Maybe… something to eat will cheer you up?" he asked. His voice was very soft, and Usagi felt like it was soothing away her tears. Whomever he was, he was incredibly nice to offer some strange girl something to eat, and he clearly did not know who she was. If he did, he would know how much she could eat in one single sit down. She nodded slowly, still wiping some tears from her face. He laughed softly, tousling her hair and stood up, offering his hand. Usagi took it, and the pair started off to a small café that was adjacent from the park…

* * *

…An hour later, and Usagi was full, her stomach gurgling happily that it had been satiated. She herself felt better that she had before, and she even sighed contently. The man covered his face, suppressing a giggle at how much she had consumed. He had asked her, when they had sat down, what was wrong. In the beginning, she had refused to say anything, but when enticed with a free lunch and as much dessert as she could eat, Usagi had slowly opened up. She had explained about her horrible nightmare, and the way her friends were not talking to her, and how Rei had been so cold. She told him about their friendship, how they had always been able to talk to each other, and how this sudden change had left her confused and with many questions. Remembering this conversation made Usagi want to sink back into gloom, but the man tried to get her to smile.

"I don't even believe I know your name, and I have asked you such personal questions…" he said, a slight blush coming to his face in an apology. He offered his hand in a handshake, which she took and shook.

"My name is Demion. I just moved her from far away." he said, offering another soft smile, like he had back at the park, and when he had ordered a lot of food for her. She gave him a small smile, which only improved his own. It seemed his kindness had taken to effect on her, when she seemed like she would never have smiled.

"I'm Usagi." she said, sitting back into her chair. Taking a few sips of her lime soda, Demion looked up at the sky and sighed, watching some clouds pass over head, and seeing a few birds flying up very high. He returned his gaze to the girl across from him, and smiled as she placed her soda back onto the table, not completely empty. She could sure pack it away, and it made him want to laugh. Taking out some money, he placed it on the table, knowing that it was enough to pay for the food, and offered his hand. Usagi clasped it, and found herself blushing as he kissed the back of the hand lightly, then released her.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Usagi. I am afraid I must head back to my apartment. I have a few… errands to do. I hope to meet you again." he said, giving a charming smile, then waving goodbye as he headed off down the street. She watched him go, wondering vaguely where his apartment was, before she found the waiter coming over and collecting the money. Standing, she thanked him, and left, heading back down the street to her own home. Now that Demion was gone, she felt the pressure of her nightmare and friends returning. It seemed the short while he had been here, her worries had dissipated, but now that he was gone… Well, she knew she needed to try and sort whatever was wrong out with her friends. But, there was the problem of getting a hold of any of them. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed her communicator, but stopped. There was a message on it already, and it was from Rei. It was a tiny video message, so, holding it up to her face, she pressed the play button. Rei's face came onto the tiny circular screen, a look of contempt and annoyance plastered onto her features. The message it played made Usagi's face grow pale.

"Usagi. Please, stop trying to communicate to us. No matter what you say, it's not going to change anything. It's not going to bring the other's back, so quit wasting our time! You screwed up big time, and Makoto and Ami paid the price!"

The messaged ended, Rei's face flickering for a second before it disappeared, leaving the girl to stare at her own reflection in the tiny mirror like surface. What had she done? Paid the price? Her heart quickening, Usagi felt like she needed to sit down. Leaning up against the wall, the girl held a hand to her forehead, she stared wide eyed down at the ground.

"Makoto… Ami-chan… you can't be…" she said, the breath leaving her body as she tried to force the words out. It seemed ridiculous in her own mind, and yet she felt the only way she could truly understand what she had just heard was saying it out loud…

"You can't be dead…."

* * *

**Authors Note:** Okay, there is chapter one for you. 8) I hope it doesn't sound terribly confusing to anyone. At a later date, I might rewrite this story, but I want to see how it goes so far... Please give me your comments, suggestions, advice, everything is wanted! Reviews are so nice, they make me want to continue to write! =)


	3. Chapter 2

The world seemed as a blur, the buildings passing by in shades of gray and white, the color not even reaching the eyes of the young girl who was running desperately down the street. Tears flowed down her cheeks, staining her skin wet and glistening in the setting sunlight. The ground beneath her feet, cold and hard, seemed to want to seep through the soles of her shoes to freeze her soul. Anguish and uncertainty played within her mind, sending her thoughts this way and that, confusing her and scaring her more and more as she continued to run. All around her, she felt like everything was crashing around her, choking her in. Calves burned, sides ached, but she felt like she could not stop. The air tasted vile against her open throat as she gulped in air, and it half made her want to close off her airways to keep it at bay. But as she tried, her lungs protested highly, and she was forced to suck in more air to keep her body moving. How long had she been running? It seemed like for hours, but could it have only been a few minutes? Usagi could not tell where she was going, the names of the streets and places she paced seemed illegible to her, probably caused by the tears that would not stop forming. She only hoped that she was heading in the right direction for her house, where she knew she could cry in peace without prying eyes worrying about her. A chill had overtaken her heart, and even as it beat with uncertainty, she had to try and keep her spirits high, lest she fall back into the trance she had felt earlier that morning. _Everyone… what happened? I don't understand…_ she thought to herself, closing her eyes as she finally came to a halt, gasping for air. Placing a hand on her chest, she bent over, gasping until she was able to breathe normally again. Then, an onslaught of sobs broke from her, renewed by her thoughts of the message Rei had sent her, and by the feelings she had had from her horrid nightmare.

"Makoto-chan…. Ami-chan… are you really gone?" she said in between fits of crying. Usagi wiped at her eyes, feeling them puffy and sore. She glanced up, wondering where her feet had taken her, and found that she had, with a stroke of luck, run close to where she lived. Her house, which was only a few blocks away, loomed at her, looking, despite the beauty of the setting sun, dark and filled with omens. Would her mother be home? She didn't even know if her brother and father would be there, but sooner or later they had to come home, right? Hesitating, the girl was unsure if she even wanted to go home. She knew they would ask why she had been crying, and after keeping the secret of her being a sailor senshi from them, she was unsure if she would be able to tell them without them becoming suspicious of the loops and gaps in her story. Would they even understand? Luna had told her on more than one occasion to keep her identity from everyone who was not a senshi, and that had included her family. There had been countless times when they had wondered where she had gone off to, when a youma had attacked and she had had to leave them without so much as a word. Each time she had to come up with an excuse that they would believe, and Usagi had wondered after a while if it would not be better to just come out with the truth.

Now was not the time to give such explanations, especially since she herself did not have all of the answers. Staring at her home, Usagi didn't move, seen the shadows playing across the streets and trees that lined them. No one seemed to be about again, but the girl didn't seemed to be paying attention to that. Slowly, she felt her feet walk forwards, dragging almost as she stepped towards her house. It seemed like an eternity to her as she walked, and she had only made it a block before she stopped again, staring up into the now setting sun. Its rays were leaving the sky, as night was approaching. Where had the time gone? It had definitely felt like forever since this morning, but she couldn't think that more than a few hours had passed before her waking up and the present. _I must have slept in…_ she thought, but it didn't matter anyways. This day had turned out to be one of the more horrible days she had ever had, and she only prayed that tomorrow would be better...

A little while later, Usagi found herself at her doorstep, opening the handled and stepping into the dark living room. No lamps or lights were on, and she had to feel her way through. The last light of the day had died only a few moments before, and had encased the street and her home in darkness. Not even the streetlamps outside seemed to give off much light, flickering dully as if they would be extinguished with only a slight breath. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped onto the wooden floor, trailing through the house. She knew the path well, and found the stairs. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it, not feeling at all in the mood for anything to eat or drink. Her chest felt heavy and dark, but she willed herself not to cry. Mounting the stairs, she slowly plodded along, and before long found herself in her childhood room. Her bunny and moon blanket was still on the floor, where she had left it that morning. Her bed was bare save for her pillow, and it was here that she flopped down onto it, curling into herself and closing her eyes. _Mamoru… I wish you were here with me. I don't know what happened today, and I feel like I did something terribly wrong…_ she thought, snuggling her face into the crooks of her arms. The moonlight, which usually shone into her room through her window, was absent, her room encased in darkness. Within a few moments, Usagi found herself asleep, snoring lightly. The weight of the world had left her, if only in her dreams as she slept.

* * *

The sun shone through the curtains, casting a tiny light on the still sleeping girl. It was early, only slightly before ten in the morning. A knock wrapped at the door of the bedroom, first soft, then harder until it caused Usagi to wake up. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around, not knowing where she was. Recognition dawned on her, and she saw that she was in her room, snuggled on her bed, and that someone was at her door.

"Ummm…" she said, letting the person know she was awake. There was a pause, and the door was pushed open, a little more forcibly than it usually was. There was her mother, standing there with her apron on and looking down at her daughter. Glancing around, she folded her arms and waiting patiently for quite some time, which made the girl wonder what her mother wanted from her. It was only Sunday, after all, so she knew that she hadn't had to be in school or anything. Standing there, her mother just sighed, then turned and walk out of the room without saying anything to her. A concerned look came over the girl as she waited, still puzzled to why her mom had come in. Then, she stood, still in her rumpled sun dress from yesterday, and walked out of her room. There was no sign of her mother, but she could hear pots and dishes clanking in the kitchen. _Maybe she wanted to make me get up…_ thought the girl, who yawned again as she walked over to the stairs. At least her mother was here, and she was not by herself like she had been the day before. The chill from yesterday returned, threatening to seize up her heart again, but she closed her eyes and forcibly willed herself to forget about the day before. Making her feet walk down the stairs, she looked around and saw her father, sitting in his usual spot on the couch, a paper in hand. Shingo, her brother, was no where to be found, and she only assumed he was at a friends house. Usagi walked into the kitchen, and saw her mother doing the dishes.

"Hello mama…" she said, rubbing her eyes. They still felt quite sore to her, but the puffiness of before had gone down. She sat at the table, still yawning as if she had not gotten a good nights rest. Her mother said nothing, only continuing on what she was doing. Her daughter looked to her, but said nothing as she stood again and scrounged around in the fridge for something to eat.

"You missed breakfast…." she said curtly, which made Usagi look up in a bit of confusion. Her mother seemed very tense for some strange reason, when normally she was nothing but loving and caring. True, she would be angry if she failed a test or something about school, but other than that she never was angry towards her.

"Your father and I are going out, and we won't be back till late, so please try and behave and don't mess up the house." she said. Putting the dishes away, her mother peeled off the apron she had been wearing and flung it over the nearest chair. It landed with a plop, and before Usagi could look up from her, her mother was gone. _Mamma..? _she thought. This was strange. Standing up, she hurried into the living room, and saw that her father too, was going. A car engine roared outside, and it faded quickly, which meant that they had left already. _Why are they so upset? _ It seemed so strange, that she wondered what had happened to make them be that way. Memories from the day before flooded to her thoughts, and she had felt the same thing from Rei when she had met her at the shrine. Wondering if there was some kind of connection, the girl ran back upstairs and grabbed her communicator. It felt cold and alien in her hands, but she pressed away on the keys, trying to call Minako to see if she would talk to her. The line rang and rang, and she was only rewarded with static. _Its just like yesterday… are they avoiding me? _She tried a second and third time to get a hold of one of her friends, but each time it ended in vain, only finding static and the growing fear that her friends were ignoring her. A hand pressed to her head, as she felt herself becoming slightly light headed. _Was it true? Did I screw up and let Ami and Makoto… die?_ the last word in her mind stuck in her throat, causing her to try and swallow the hard lump that had formed there. The worst part of trying to remember, was that she _couldn't _remember. Everything after the fight, and even what had happened to the youma, was no where to be found in the recesses of her thoughts. She remembered everything up until that moment, but it was as if the memory of what happened afterwards was blocked, gone.

Usagi felt her head began to ache from thinking so hard, trying to remember. She gave up, knowing that if she could not produce these memories, then there was a good reason for it. Getting up, she headed for the shower. It was no good to dwell on the thoughts at the moment, and she knew after a hot shower, and maybe a long walk, her mind might clear up just a little more…

* * *

The room was dark, the walls and ceiling encased in black. It was quiet, nothing stirring, nothing evening moving except the little trill of bubbles that floated in the water. Giving off a pale blue light, the tube was barely discernible from the rest of the room, its glass walls dark, and its lower platform the same color as the floor itself. There was no decoration on it, just smooth, untouched marble, almost blending in with the floor at the base. A figure appeared on the other side of the room, a door shutting behind it with a quiet click. Standing there, it didn't move for the longest time, hesitating, or perhaps thinking about a few things before it began to move. Quietly, it glided over to the tube, fabric rustling in the darkness. A hand, pale and slender, reached out as it reached the glass cylinder, touching it lightly with its fingertips before pressing its palm against it. The glass felt warm, almost as if it was alive, and was very smooth to the touch. It remained there for a few moments more, before dropping to the figures side. A few more bubbles echoed in the tubes darkness before the figure turned around and left through the same door, closing it and letting the room be enshrouded once again.

* * *

The sun was unusually bright, and it paled in contrast to the mood that Usagi was in. Her mother had reminded her about the feelings she had been harboring the day before, and it made everything seem dull and lackluster around her. She had even declined free ice-cream from a vendor, which surprised the man as he had never known her to not accept free food. Scratching his head, he watched her pass by, then offered the treat to a little kid with its mother.

The girl continued forwards, wanting to walk around town to see if it would clear her mind. She had needed to get out of the house, to leave such a dark feeling place, but it seemed it had been no help. She kept seeing the places her friends would gather, places they would eat together or have a fun time at, and it only made her mood worse. Trudging forwards, she ignored the cheery people around her, until she felt herself smack into something in front of her. She let out a surprised gasp as she felt herself falling forwards. Closing her eyes, she prepared to hit the ground, but instead felt gentle arms holding onto her. Blinking she looked up, and saw brown eyes staring down at her with a laugh in them.

"Well, Miss Usagi! I did not expect to bump into you in this way…" he said, helping her to stand up, making sure she did not hurt herself from bumping into him. His blonde hair ruffled in the slight breeze that passed over the two, and Usagi felt herself blush slightly after having run into him. She straightened the light sweater she had chosen to wore, feeling him smiling at her while she did so. When she looked at him, he held a gentle smile at her, and it seemed very infectious, as a small one spread across her own face. She gave a short bow, greeting him.

"Hello Demion-san.." she said. He laughed slightly at her words, which made the girl confused. Had she said something wrong? When she asked it to him, he shook his head and waved it off as nothing, blinking as he looked at her.

"You look better today than you did yesterday, Miss Usagi. Did you make up with your friends?" he asked her. The smile faded from his face when the dark mood she had had returned. It seemed that he had been wrong in his assumption, and he could tell by just looking at her that nothing had changed from when they had met the day previous. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and led her to a public bench underneath an awning so that she could sit down. Usagi let him lead her to it, and she plopped down, refusing to let herself cry again in front of him. It had been embarrassing the other day for him to see her in such a state, so she refused to let her emotions run wild. After all, he was kind enough to listen to her story yesterday that she didn't want to bother him with her own problems any more than necessary. His hand still rested on her shoulder until she looked over to him. He let it slip to his side, but still gave her that smile of his.

"That bad huh?" he asked, receiving no reply but a nod of the head from her. He sighed for a moment, thinking on how he could cheer her up before a thought crossed his mind. Leaning over, he gave a quick kiss to the side of her face and leaned back. Usagi's eyes widened and she felt a blush rushing over her face as she looked at him. He laughed, a gentle chiming sound at her flustered face, then quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Miss Usagi. I thought it might cheer you up!" he said, messing up her bands again. He coughed, his hand staying at his mouth as a slight blush appeared on his own face. She watched him, an uncertain look in her eyes, but then returned to looking forwards. He sighed, leaning back, pushing back his blonde hair again as he looked at her. She seemed so sad, and he had wanted to make her feel better. Yesterday had been no different, when he had spotted her crying in the playground. She had looked so sad then too…

Cars passed in front of them as people went about their normal ways. A few birds landed before the pair, cooing and rustling around for any food that might be on the ground. When a person approached, they flew into the nearby trees, only to return when the people had passed. One of them squawked, turning its head towards the pair on the bench, squawked again, then took flight, startling the other birds who followed suit.

Suddenly, the young man stood, causing the girl to look over at him. Something looked wrong, she could see it on his face, but he said nothing as he began to walk away from her. Puzzled, Usagi stood up and walked after him, having to almost jog as he was walking so fast.

"Demion-san?" she said, calling his name out again when he did not reply to her. Finally, she had to run up to him and grab onto his shirt sleeve to keep him from moving away, which only made him slow slightly. Running around to his front, the girl looked up at him, and she could see pain on his face. He pushed her out of the way, causing a slight gasp to escape from her lips. A look of anger on his face appearing briefly before his normal looks came back.

"I'm sorry, Miss Usagi… I… I am not feeling well at the moment, please excuse me…" he said, then continued to walk faster away from her, leaving a perplexed Usagi standing there, watching as his form receded away. The girl shook herself out of confusion and ran down to the end of the street, where he had turned right. When she got there, she could not see him anywhere. _Where did he go? _she wondered to herself. Something had been wrong, but he had not told her anything. Usagi hoped he had been okay. Since her nightmare, he had been the only one to be comforting to her, and she had felt better in his presence than she had when she was alone, brooding on the thoughts of her friends and family. With him gone, she had felt that loneliness and despair creep back at her, invisibly nipping at her heals, waiting to jump back into her heart and cause her more pain. A part of her had wished he had stayed there, if only to make her mood more brighter and less dark. Sighing to herself, she turned around after quite a few moments, walking back down the street. She moved around people that tried to get past her, not wanting to meet their eyes and fear seeing anyone she knew. A voice echoed over towards her, causing the girl to lift her gaze. Looking ahead, Usagi froze cold in her tracks, hear heart plummeting at the sight...

She could see Minako and Rei heading straight for her.

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**AN:** Okay, so here is the next chapter! Sorry for such long wait. School has been killer and it has been eating up all my time. ;A; I kinda lost my interest in this story, but it flared back up when I started watching Sailor Moon again! And of course, when I watched the lovely Dimande… hehehe! Gotta love that man! :3 Anyways, I hope to update faster but I am not going to promise anything, so please be patient with me! Reviews would be loved! *hearts*


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